Category: Around Campus (page 34 of 39)

Honors students in action in and around our campus community

Let Me Tell You ‘Bout My Best Friends

March 15, 2013 / / Comments Off on Let Me Tell You ‘Bout My Best Friends

As the day you embark on your journey to college gets nearer and nearer, I’m sure you’re anxious and probably a little upset about leaving your friends from high school behind. It is a strange feeling, setting off on such an exciting expedition without your sidekicks. When I was in your shoes, I feared that I’d never be able to form friendships that would come anywhere close to the ones I’d had at home. Also, how is it possible that my future best friends will just so happen to live on the same floor as me?

When you first arrive at school, it will be completely normal to feel overwhelmed due to the massive amount of people introducing themselves to you. Honestly, you probably won’t even remember your next-door-neighbor’s name for a while. Little by little, after countless floor dinners and icebreaker activities, you will find your niche – trust me! In fact, you might not even know that someone you said “hi” to while walking down the hallway on move-in day will become your other half in a matter of weeks.

I know it is hard to believe before you experience it, but the friends that you make on your floor during the first weeks of school truly become family. There is always a person available for you to go to for anything and everything, whether it be homework help, dating advice, or to watch outrageous YouTube videos for hours on end. If you dive into your new life wholeheartedly, I can personally guarantee that you will find friends that will not only fill the void left by your high school friends, but will be there for a lifetime.

For current students who met their best friends in Russell, share your stories!

~Ashley Bostwick

Here’s Ashley (and one of our other bloggers Hannah on the far right!) with her floormates!

Copyright (c) in 2011 euroelevators.com. All rights Reserved

Why do elevators have to be awkward?

March 15, 2013 / / Comments Off on Why do elevators have to be awkward?

Christiana East Tower, for those of you who don’t know, has seventeen floors. That’s two more than its counterpart West, and (I’m willing to bet, at least) more than any other building on campus. Living as I do on the fifteenth floor of East, I basically have three options. The first is to properly sync up the teleport we’re hiding in our bathroom (and it doesn’t meet the room regulations, so shh); the second is to get in shape by racing up and down thirty flights of stairs (two flights each to get between floors); the third is to take the elevator.

And while that third option may seem the most attractive at first, it means squirming and shifting in the irrationally painful aura of the elevator ride itself. No matter how many people cram themselves into the elevator (and I’ve been in one with as many as eleven), I think they somehow all silently agree not to speak a single word to the person smushed into their ribcage or nudged into the back corner for fear of actual social interaction. Furthermore, as people start to get out, those remaining in the elevator shift into formations that allow them to stay as far away from the other people as possible.

Copyright (c) in 2011 euroelevators.com. All rights Reserved

Common ways to avoid speaking in the elevator include staring pointedly at your phone, fiddling with your keys, watching the light over the doors move from floor to floor, or jamming your thumb down on the ‘door close’ button every time someone gets even their toe out into a hallway. It might just be the study of silence I’ve been conducting in my Honors ENGL394 class, but to me, this is both remarkable and a little bit saddening.

Elevators are a normal part of life, and even if there’s someone who’s so petrified of them that he or she is reduced to silence upon the usage of one, surely not all of us are plagued with this affliction. Why, then, are we reduced to silence upon entering an elevator? Feel free to comment your reasoning below.

Personally, the next time I get on the elevator (which should be in less than a few hours, in all honesty), I intend to start a conversation, no matter how small, with the people standing in there with me. We are all people, and I don’t think there’s any reason why friendliness shouldn’t be the norm. So if you’re in the East elevator and some caffeinated brunette starts chatting with you… hello.

Unless you’re the guy who takes the elevator from the first floor to the third floor. You get the silent treatment.

~Claire Davanzo

Sean Considine plays the piano in Russell.

Better than Pandora: A feature on the occasional Russell lounge piano concerts

March 14, 2013 / / Comments Off on Better than Pandora: A feature on the occasional Russell lounge piano concerts

Something I’ve always found striking about the Honors Program is the amount of musical talent filling the halls of Russell. On any given night, you can hear a violinist working his or her way through a solo, a vocalist practicing scales, and every once in a while, if you’re lucky, there is someone tickling the ivories in one of the lounges. There is nothing like being bent over a textbook, ears filled with either oppressive silence or the grating sound of a Pandora ad, and suddenly hearing the black Yamaha in the corner come to life.

Russell A resident Dylan Buller, one such musician, explained why he so often finds himself at the piano bench.

“With the harrowing days I’ve gotten each week, it can be nice to sit down for an hour, forget about all the stress, and just enjoy the music,” the freshman said.

And as it turns out, the person playing the music is not the only one enjoying it.

“The piano playing in the lounge can create the perfect background music for studying,” elaborated Chemical Engineering major, Rachel Chess. “Sometimes, it’s nice to have just the right amount of noise when working through a problem set.”

Sean Considine plays the piano in Russell.

I tend to agree. There are of course those times when I need complete silence, and for those times I lock myself in the library or the Quiet Study Lounge. However, when working my way through the dry pages of a textbook, there is something truly special about being accompanied by a well-played piano to make the experience more enjoyable. The mixture of words and notes transports me to my own world. It is when I can find this peaceful state that I am most productive.

Moreover, I’ve found that this music can be a subconsciously connective experience. Oftentimes the music being played matches and emulates the mood I’m in, forming a subtle link between the performer and the audience.

“Although piano playing is a primarily introspective experience for me, I think everyone feels the emotions I convey through music at one time or another,” Buller said of this connection. “It’s conceivable that other people could be in ‘tune’ with that and feel it, too.” I certainly think so.

This piano playing is something most students, myself included, often take for granted. Yet, as I thought about it, it occurred to me what a privilege it is to be surrounded by people of such talent that will share it with us on any given occasion. It’s an underrated, but uniquely striking aspect of my life here at UD that I’ve really come to appreciate.

Just another perk of life in the Honors dorm.

~Victoria Snare

Freshman Breanna Mesa loves to Skype with her family and friends from home!

“…PHONE HOME”

March 13, 2013 / / Comments Off on “…PHONE HOME”

For the next few posts, I have decided to introduce a new series called, “What do UDo?” where I will finish the question differently for each post about some different things UD Honors students do.  If you have any ideas, feel free to hit up the comment section!

Freshman Breanna Mesa loves to Skype with her family and friends from home!

First up: “What do UDo… to keep in contact with friends from home?”

Being fresh out of high school, I have been trying so hard to stay in contact with my friends who do not go to UD.  However, when you are so busy with school, activities, and doing new and exciting things at college, keeping up with your friends from home can be really hard.  In this digital age it is believed that it is rather easy to keep up to date with others not around.  However, I say there are way too many outlets available where you can contact your friends. If I want to get in touch with my friend, I can text, tweet, Facebook message, or Snapchat; I don’t know which one to use first!  As Drew Barrymore says in the film He’s Just Not That Into You, “Now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It’s exhausting!”

While it may be hard, it is not impossible. Freshmen living in Russell B1 have found the ideas below useful to keep in touch with their friends while at college:

1. “Skype dates. Set a definite time, like Sundays at 4.” By doing this, you can get into a routine of talking for longer periods of time.  You can keep up with what is going on in your friends’ lives and keep them up to date on what is going on with you too in a more in-depth way

2.“Group chats can help keep everyone updated instantly.”  With the iPhones, the group chat feature is extremely helpful in keeping in touch with your entire friend group. It also helps for you not to have to repeat what is going on for each friend!

3. “When you’re walking to or from class, just call your friends and talk for a little bit.” Any little form of communication helps, even if it is only for a few minutes.  Just by saying “Hi! Hope your day is going well!” it will let your friend know you are thinking of them.

4. “Plan visits to other colleges or plan visits for your friends to come to Delaware.” Having your friends come and see you and your everyday life at college will be fun and exciting. I know I loved when one of my best friends came to visit me last semester and can’t wait to visit her soon. It can be fun to see how different Delaware is from other schools!

While keeping in touch with friends can be hard, I found that if you just try your best to keep in touch in minimal ways, even just through Snapchat or social media like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you will continue to be involved in their lives and keep the relationship stronger than ever!

Now it’s your turn: What have you found to be the most useful way to keep in touch with your friends from home? Have you visited any of your friends at other colleges? How does UD compare?

~Hannah Tattersall

whomp whomp.

“How-to: Save Money on Campus”

March 12, 2013 / / Comments Off on “How-to: Save Money on Campus”

We’re all college students, so we know the drill. You have that one friend who wants to go out to dinner but you just spent all of your money on textbooks (unless you’re a DuPont Scholar), food at the grocery store and maybe just splurged for your little. There is NO way you can afford a big dinner at Taverna right now. Luckily, I’m here to help. Granted, I’m no budgeter myself but I do know a thing or two about saving money when it comes down to it. Here are a few simple steps to doing what you want to do and not breaking the bank account while doing it.

whomp whomp.

#1:  Check out the menu beforehand. If you see that everything at the restaurant is expensive, either suggest a different place (like Kate’s, Deer Park or Grottos) or find something on the menu that is both filling and affordable. At Taverna, their pizzas are reasonably priced and really delicious! The same goes for a coffee shop. Sure, everyone loves the fun Frappucinos or Macchiatos but it’s hard to afford that habit. Opt for the plain coffee twice a week. A flavor shot is usually only 50¢ and you can add whatever you want to your liking.

#2: Do they accept OCMP? Unfortunately, I’m not one of those lucky kids to have an off-campus meal plan, but I know plenty of people that do. Find the places that accept OCMP and try to head there for that group dinner (or if you just don’t feel like cooking). True, you are spending your parent’s money, but that’s why they got you the meal plan in the first place. Don’t let it go to waste! Check out your options here (http://ocmp.com/SchoolsRestaurants.aspx?id=7).

#3: Research on HungryHens.com (link to www.hungryhens.com). Never heard of it? It’s the best money-saving tip out there. There are some great deals on there, just for University of Delaware students. The site features weekly specials and full menus, and that tip I mentioned above about the OCMP? They accept that too!

#4: Limit yourself to going out once a week. I know that’s one that you didn’t want to hear. But for those of you 21+ who are taking it to the bars on the weekend, you know that it can burn quite a big hole in your pocket. I’ve seen it happen. So, if you MUST make a trip to the bar, try to keep it to once a week and only bring a small amount of cash with you. I’ve also seen the ohnoibroughtmydebitcardandboughtdrinksforeveryone person the day after, and trust me. That’s not pleasant.

#5: Lastly, have a little self control. This is an especially hard one for me. I always want what I want and don’t really care how much it costs. Now that I’m trying to save up for post-graduation, I’m a little bit more conscientious. Do you really NEED that new Delaware shirt? Is it absolutely necessary for you to have that steak or could you go with chicken instead? All decisions come with an opportunity cost (hey… I guess I did learn something in Economics) and you just have to weigh your pros and cons!

Now, go save a buck (or two) and let me know what else you’re interested in for ‘How-to Tuesdays’!

Take it easy.

~Chelsey Rodowicz

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